The End Of An Era

final edition old bug Today, July 30th, 2003, the last original Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico. 21,529,464 Beetles were produced since production began in December 1945, that’s more than six million more cars than Ford’s Model T production. Other interesting facts:

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche completed the prototype Beetle in 1936.
The car was produced in many, many countries, even including such countries as Ireland, Singapore and Nigeria.
At it’s peak, yearly production reached 1.3 million; 30,000 were made last year.

While the “People’s Car” has reached the end of it’s life, the car will have a significantly longer influence on automotive enthusiasts in the U.S., and ordinary, middle class people in Mexico, with a significant number of them owning one of the most distinctive automobiles in the world.

I used to own one of these cars and it’s kinda sad to realize that they aren’t made anymore. I hope I will own another one of these cars in the future!

May the “cult” never fade away.